An Alternate Ending
by hai hai senpai
Summary: What happens when a spontaneous decision causes a ripple of emotions that can't be undone? She wasn't supposed to turn around, but she did. And that was all it took for a middle school friendship to become something more. Ann x Ryuji. Rated M for what will come in later chapters. Obvs I own nothing about the Persona series. Please leave a review to let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

What happens when a spontaneous decision causes a ripple of emotions that can't be undone? She wasn't supposed to turn around, but she did. And that was all it took for a childhood friendship to become something more.

A miserable, pain-filled groan sounded out from underneath a spotlight nearby. Only one set of ears chose to hear the noise, and it was enough for her feet to subconsciously stop walking.

"Ann? What's wrong, why'd you stop?" the soft, delicate voice beside her asked.

"You guys go on ahead; I need to talk to him for a sec."

Turning quickly on her heel, Ann left the group of thieves behind and walked back to where they left their once dead, now undead, but beaten up teammate. Each of the remaining thieves looked at each other with a mix of confusion and intrigue, but an all-knowing Ren guided everyone along to give the two a moment of privacy. Morgana hesitated longer than everyone else, as usual, because the thought of Ryuji alone with Lady Ann was enough to make his fur stand on end.

"Hey, Ryuji," he could hear a familiar voice but it was fuzzy, seeing as he was nearly half asleep. "Ryuji, wake up!" The voice was louder the second time it spoke as if it had gotten closer. He let out another groan as his head rolled down, the cumulation of being almost blown up and then sequentially beaten up had made him much more exhausted than he realized. A pair of gentle hands held each of his cheeks and tilted his head up. Though they were unfocused, Ryuji forced his eyes open to see the blurry vision of the natural blonde teammate directly in front of him, holding up his head by his cheeks.

"Ann? The hell, I thought you were mad at me?" he grumbled out, voice thick with pain.

"I wasn't mad Ryuji. Well, when I slapped you I was, but that was because you didn't understand why we were upset. We thought you died! I thought you died..." Ann closed her eyes for a second to try and keep her tears locked away. At that moment, Ryuji's vision finally returned to normal. He saw a girl he'd practically grown up with kneeling down in front of him, trying her best to fight back crying as she held his face gingerly. Pushing up on his hands, Ryuji sat up just a little bit straighter against the light pole that kept him upright, careful not to hit her with his sprawled out legs.

"So you beat me up because I wasn't dead? That's some bullshit."

"I know. I'm so, so sorry Ryuji. Especially after all you've been through, we should never have done that," Ann finally let his face go, letting her hands ball up into fists on the little span of concrete that separated the two of them. Little droplets fell from her chin onto the sidewalk, leaving small dark circles all around her fists.

"Dammit..." he grumbled, entirely uncomfortable with this display of emotion taking place quite literally between his legs. Not only was he always unsure of what to do when girls cried, but now they were sitting here in a rather compromising position in front of a government building, of all places. "Ann, I get it. It's whatever. Can we go now? This sidewalk hurts my ass." He knew he should be consoling or comforting to her but honestly, he was pretty pissed. What kind of reaction to finding out someone lived through a heroic fiery explosion is beating the guy up? It shouldn't have, but it brought up some nasty feelings about his father and Kamoshida, and if he didn't get alone soon he worried he'd say something he would come to regret.

Continuing to look down at the ground, Ann wiped away her tears with the backs of her hands and nodded, mumbling out, "Yeah, let me help you get up." She pushed herself quickly up off the ground and held out her hands for him to take. Pride beset him and he refused, instead trying to push himself up off of the ground on his own. The strain from the evening was too much, however, and his arm gave out beneath him.

"Dammit, Ryuji just take my hands and let me help you for once."

Ann wasn't waiting politely anymore. She bent down, grabbed took both of his hands in hers, and pulled up with a firm grip, making Ryuji groan as he slowly got to his feet. Without a second thought, she immediately pulled his arm around her shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist to support his weight. They walked in silence towards the train station for a while, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Ryuji's mind stirred at what to say, what to even think, but the main thought that kept popping back up was simply a question.

"Why'd you come back?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ann looked up at him but he refused to meet her gaze. His eyes were glued to the sidewalk, not even bothering to flick her way.

"First you girls beat the crap out of me, and then you talk about dinner. I saw all of you walk away. So why'd you come back?"

She opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but her words died in her throat. How could she explain that there was just something, some feeling that spontaneously appeared and nagged at her to go back to him? She couldn't explain it. She had no answer that would make sense for either of them. But she guessed that no answer was also an answer in itself.

"I- I don't know, Ryuji. I just felt like I had to. Maybe it's because I've known you for so long? Or maybe I felt bad for slapping you so hard..." she looked up at his face from the corner of her eye and could see the still pink mark gracing his skin. "Sorry about that..."

He didn't like her answer, but he didn't know why. The mixture of pain, anger, and frustration was confusing him and he couldn't figure out why her words weren't what he wanted to hear. "Will you stop apologizin' already? I don't know what to do when you're looking all sad and stuff."

"I won't stop until I feel like you understand how bad I feel."

"Fine, I understand. I forgive you. Cool?" Ann could hear the edge to his voice and knew he was putting up a wall.

"Clearly it's not cool. I can tell you're still upset."

"I've got a lot going on in my head and I don't know what to do with all of it. I'm not mad at you, I swear."

Ann stopped walking which also dragged Ryuji to a halt. The sudden movement finally made him turn and look at her, though his expression was one of confusion. "What'dja stop for? We're almost to the train station." He looked back in the direction they were walking and could see the entrance to the station. Ryuji so desperately wanted to just get on the train and go home, since it was somewhere he could be alone and not have to worry about pissing anyone else off.

"If I ask you to talk to me about whatever it is in that head of yours, would you?"

"I don't wanna dump all my childhood baggage on you," he said in a quiet, serious voice.

"What if I want you to?"

"You're not gonna let me go home, are ya?"

"Not if you'll let me keep you hostage."

Why? Why was she putting in so much effort into breaking down the wall that he put up just to make sure he didn't hurt her? When he got angry he knew his mouth ran without any control. He wanted to be alone to let everything out safely, but here Ann was doing whatever she could to make him talk. For the first time in a long time, Ryuji felt like someone truly wanted to hear what he had to say, no funny stuff involved. And that was enough for him.

"Alright, alright. You win. I'll talk, just not here on a damned sidewalk."

Ann gave him a happy grin and continued walking towards the train station. Confused, Ryuji looked down at her and wondered what she was planning. He thought she'd take him to some café or coffee shop, but either of those would be in an entirely different direction.

"Uhh, Ann? Where are we going?"

"My place."

The confused shriek Ryuji let out was deafening in Ann's ear, so much so that she recoiled to try and get away from the source.

"W-what? No way! Uh-uh, I am not going to back to your house! Let's just go to a fast food spot or something."

"What's wrong with my house?" Ann asked as she continued half-dragging him along to the train station, "It's not far from here and it's gonna be way more comfortable than anything around here!"

"Lots of things! Your parents are gonna flip when you bring a troublemaker like me home!"

Ann's determined look never wavered as she snickered, finding his panicked state very amusing. "My parents aren't home this month. They're back in Finland with family, so it's just me! Besides, I bet they'd like you. They like spunky types."

"Who the hell are you calling spunky?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Daaaaaamn this is your house?"

Ann shriveled away from the piercing noise as Ryuji essentially shrieked into her ear. Though he was fine to walk on his own from the train station, the bottle blonde was practically hanging over her shoulder as she worked to get her front door open. The little bit that he could see from the doorway was enough for Ryuji to get excited at the idea of recovering there.

"Will you get off?" Ann shrugged her shoulder aside, causing a still limping Ryuji to stumble into the living room. As Ann quickly locked up the door behind her and kicked off her shoes, she noticed that Ryuji had oddly enough not stepped another foot inside.

"What are you doing?"

"This is too nice, man, I feel like I'm in some fancy hotel or somethin'," Ryuji muttered as he very delicately took off his shoes and left them by the door.

"Will you just relax already?" Two gentle hands rested on Ryuji's shoulders, pushing him towards the couch until he caved and sat down. For the first time in her life, Ann witnessed a Ryuji that had perfect posture. Sitting with his back completely straight, Ryuji rested both of his arms stiff straight onto his knees like a child that was waiting to be scolded for breaking an expensive vase. His formality and awkwardness were simply too much for Ann to endure. She grabbed a small throw pillow from the couch and threw at Ryuji, hitting him square in the face with a solid thud.

"I said relax! You're making me nervous acting all stiff like that!"

"Alright, alright already! Stop throwin' things!" Ryuji wrapped one of his arms around the pillow and leaned back into the impressively comfortable couch. He watched as Ann rolled her eyes and left the room, disappearing down a hallway for what, he did not know. His eyes wandered around the living room as he took in its modern and western vibe. A sleek, modern L-shaped couch framed the back wall of the living room, and a dark wood coffee table sat right at his feet. The wall across from the couch had a decent sized television, one much bigger than Ryuji had seen in anyone's house before.

"Yo Ann, can I turn on the TV?" he called out towards the hallway, already reaching for the remote that rested on the coffee table.

"Yeah, go for it!" a disembodied voice yelled back.

A couple of minutes had passed before Ann returned. Her signature pigtails were pulled up into a high messy bun, and she changed from her normal clothes to loose black sweatpants and a baggy white t-shirt. Ryuji's eyes flicked over to the movement in his peripheral vision but went back for a double take when he realized how different she looked.

"Woah, I didn't think you owned baggy clothes," he muttered, cautiously avoiding saying anything that would give away his true thoughts. Simply rolling her eyes, Ann continued in the room carrying a small white container held loosely in her arms. With a tilt of his head, Ryuji asked, "What's that?"

"First-aid kit. One of us got your cheek pretty good, and I figured I could try and apologize again by patching you up." Ann moved his feet to the side and sat onto the coffee table directly in front of his view of the tv.

"You don't need to do that, I get cuts and crap all the time. I'm used to it." Ryuji shrugged at her offer like it was no big deal and leaned over to the side to try and get another clear view of the tv. It wasn't until she also leaned over, obstructing his view again, that he realized getting away from her wasn't going to be so easy.

"At least let me clean it up and put a bandage on it."

"I don't need you to."

"I don't care Ryuji!" Ann's voiced squeaked with emotion, catching his attention. "Will you just let me do this? Please?" A small part of Ryuji wanted to fight back and tell her to drop it, but even in the backlit glow from the tv, he could see the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. With a heavy sigh, Ryuji sat back up and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his silent sign that it was okay for her to do whatever she wanted to. She didn't say anything in return, but she read through his body language and began to set the first-aid kit into her lap. The quiet noise of some random late night tv show played in the background, but the volume was so low neither could really hear what was being said. The lack of conversation caused a silence between them that was nearly palpable as she pulled out a disinfectant pad and pressed it to the scrape on his cheek.

"So... what were you thinking about earlier that got you mad?" Ann dared break the silence and jumped straight to the point.

"You know about my dad, right? Or you at least heard the rumors?"

Simply nodding, Ann stayed quiet and waited for him to continue. Ryuji's eyes looked down to the floor to watch his hands clenched, popping his knuckles in the process.

"He was an ass, always drinking and yelling at my mom. Sometimes when it was really bad he'd beat me or her, but I usually tried to take the punches so she wouldn't have to. I thought things would get better after he ditched us, but now... sometimes if someone looks at me wrong or hits me it all comes back." Ryuji pulled away from Ann's hand and scratched the back of his head with a frustrated look. "I know you guys weren't trying to abuse me or whatever, but I don't get to choose when this anger comes back. And I guess I wanted you to leave me alone so I wouldn't say something to you that'd bite me in the ass."

Guilt overwhelmed Ann in an instant. In an effort to hold back her emotions, she clenched her teeth and turned away, preoccupying her hands with digging out the right sized bandage from the first-aid kit. She had always wondered why he never spoke of his dad in middle school, and when the rumors spread in high school she realized why. But she never bothered to think about what that kind of childhood could do to someone, or if that was why he was labeled as the troublemaker. It wasn't too much to think that a boy from an abusive household would develop some adult-resentment issues.

"Hey, look at me," she said quietly, holding up a bandage in the air to show him what she was going to do next. Her heart nearly broke when she saw the look in his eyes; broken, sad, and angry beyond belief. He wasn't the kind of person to let people in, to know what was going on in that seemingly empty brain of his. But Ann was different. She knew him long enough to realize there was more to him than just a punk kid with a temper. And for Ryuji, that was enough to let her know more than the simpleton façade he showed the world.

With the most delicate touch she could manage, she gently placed the bandage onto his cheek and ran the pad of her thumb over the parts where it stuck to make sure it was secured onto his skin. "He's gone now. And so is Kamoshida. What we did wasn't fair, and we weren't thinking about what our actions would do to you. But I'm glad you told me because now I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to you."

"Ann, you don't have to do-"

"I don't have to but I'm going to. I want to." Ryuji's mouth opened as he began to respond, but she quickly stood up and slapped the first-aid kit shut, making his words die off before they could form. "Come on, let's go get something to eat." She walked away before he had a chance to disagree and stood to wait by the front door, slipping on her shoes without a second thought.

"Do you actually go outside dressed like that? I thought you'd be dolled up all the time."

"Oh shut up, we're just going to the convenience store. I'm not gonna go dress nice for a bunch of old guys buying beer."

Ryuji slipped on his shoes and followed her outside, noticing that the sidewalks were considerably empty. The events of the night replayed in his head, but he couldn't think of why it would be so dead that early in the evening. He quickly pulled out his phone and checked the time, but panicked when he noticed it was well past midnight.

"Dammit..." he muttered under his breath as he began to text his mom. Ann heard his cursing and looked over, her expression one of curiosity and concern. She watched as he furiously texted away at something, and then when he noticed her looking he slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Sorry, I had to ask my mom if it was okay to take a taxi home. Last train was a while ago."

"Why don't you just stay at my house? We have plenty of spare rooms."

Feet freezing as he stepped into solid ice, Ryuji guffawed and nearly choked on air. His eyes searched her face for a slip-up, a sign that she was joking and about to make a fool out of him. Ann, confused, turned to see why he had stopped following along. "She's serious," he thought in a mental whisper.

"Are you crazy?! Hell no!"


	3. Chapter 3

A loud rumble of bass drowned out the rattling of plastic and cracking of soda cans as Ann and Ryuji settled into the couch. Even though he fought every logical argument she offered as they scoured the convenience store for snacks, Ryuji wasn't able to find a single point aside from "boy and girl" that was strong enough to make Ann blink even once. It seemed Ann had placed him so far into the friend zone that even the idea of him at her house, the two of them alone, in the middle of the night, didn't give up any red flags. Or, perhaps, she simply trusted him that much.

"So what's this movie about?" Ryuji mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

"I dunno, it's some random thing that was on tv," Ann replied, pulling a fluffy blanket onto her lap. "I think the description said something about an evil doll?"

"Huh. Sounds stupid."

Although neither seemed excited to watch the movie, neither made a move to change it. An assortment of sweets, chips, and bento boxes was laid out across the coffee table in front of them, all bought much to Ryuji's surprise on Ann's parents' debit card. She told him that she was allowed to spend a certain amount a month, but he was still taken aback. He didn't like the slight twinge of envy that ran through him as he admired her independence.

Minutes passed as the movie dragged on, neither of them that interested or scared of the weird redhead doll with a knife kink that kept popping up on the screen.

"So do you really live here alone? There's no one here keepin' an eye on you?" Ryuji asked between bites, his eyes remaining glued to the screen.

"Well I live here by myself when my parents are gone, but I have a caretaker that lives like two train stations away. But she just checks in like once a week to give me groceries and make sure I keep this place clean."

"Doesn't that get boring? I dunno if I could live by myself all the time, it'd be too quiet."

Ann simply shrugged, but a part of her noticed how both Ren and Ryuji questioned if she was essentially happy living this way. "I'm pretty used to it. It's been like this since I was a kid, I mean when I was younger the caretaker lived with me but she moved out once I turned 16."

"Just 'cause you're used to it doesn't mean it's not boring."

For some reason she couldn't explain, Ryuji's words struck a nerve that made her freeze. Her eyes lost focus on the tv in front of her as she disappeared in thought. She had to admit, having him there made the place a little more… comfortable? But his presence has always been comfortable to her; she never felt like he judged her for her looks or personality, even whenever they were kids in middle school. They were both loud and overbearing, but every once in a while they were able to have small, peaceful moments like this that made her realize he was more than just the school's problem child. And maybe it was that ability to simply "be" around him that made her finally realize it was boring living alone. She woke up alone, ate alone, spent all of her time alone. Perhaps that was why she clung so close to the people who actually stuck around in her life, like Shiho, Ryuji, and all of the thieves.

Ryuji looked down at Ann from the corner of her eye when she didn't reply. Her eyes looked lost in the distance as if she wasn't looking at anything at all. A twinge of nervousness ran through him as he thought maybe he said something he shouldn't have. Right as he was about to apologize, she spoke.

"Yeah… It's pretty boring. But ever since I got close to you, and Shiho, and everyone else on the team I haven't really noticed. The fun I have with you guys makes coming home to this empty place a lot better."

Ryuji swallowed hard when he saw the half sad, half grateful smile she gave to him. Everyone on the team knew that he was already somewhat protective of her. He would always call Akira to vent, and at the end of each call he'd ask Ren not to tell Ann. Ryuji didn't know why he always said that, but if he ever thought about it he'd convince himself that he didn't want to stress her out. But this was different. To Ryuji, from the implication in her words, she essentially gave him a reason to stay around. Someone, finally, wanted the troublemaker around. If he could make her life even one degree better, if he could make this empty shell of a home a little more tolerable, if he could somehow protect that damn fragile smile, he knew he'd do whatever he could to help.

"You know if you're alone here all the time you could have the team come over to hang out. I'm sure they'd be down to chill with you!"

"I don't know… there's nothing really to do here." Ann's eyes glanced around the living room, trying to imagine what a group of teens would do in a house this bland.

"So? There's nothing to do at Ren's place besides drink coffee, at least you have this sick tv!"

An airy laugh was all Ryuji heard, but it was enough to let him let go of the tension he had subconsciously been holding. It seemed that finally, Ann was back to being Ann.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe we can have a party here or something, after another big mission!"

"Heh, yeah. Sounds like a plan," Ryuji's attention broke from Ann's bubbly smile when the movie on TV ended and credits began to roll. "Ann, that movie seriously sucked. You have awful taste."

"Hey!" she chided, throwing a nearby pillow at him in an attempt to shut him up. "I didn't choose it, it was the only thing on! You find another movie then!" Ann passed him the remote as a challenge, one he readily took.

"Lame, romance, cartoon… ohhh what about this one? It's that Godzilla movie that came out not that long ago!"

Ann rolled her eyes as she pulled her blanket up to her shoulders, pulling her knees up onto the couch. Neither of them seemed to mind that they had ended up right next to each other, her knees bumping into the outside of his thigh as she curled herself up. Between talking, grabbing random snacks from the coffee table, and randomly adjusting to make themselves comfortable, their natural movements slowly led them to be close. And they stayed that way, cozy and snug, for an hour or so as the sci-fi movie raged on.

"Ohhh damn that was so cool! Ann, did you see what he just-" his fit of excitement cut short when he realized at some point she had fallen asleep, head perched ever so lightly onto his shoulder. There it was again, that unfathomable desire to protect her. His thoughts raced at the idea that a girl he liked so much trusted him enough to sleep while he was the only one around.

"_Wait, did I just think that I like Ann? Nononono Ryuji, don't do this. You just think she's hot! And funny, sometimes! And easy to talk to, and caring, and- holy shit. I like Ann."_

Ren had been hinting at the idea of Ryuji and Ann being a thing since the first time he saw them interact outside of Kamoshida's palace. Of course, Ryuji denied it vehemently, saying that she was only a friend. But as each mission got harder and their team continued to grow, still Ryuji was closest to his fellow blonde. None of the other girls even seemed to grab a second of his attention. It was always Ann.

Ryuji let out a miserable sigh, absolutely frustrated that of course, he'd figure that out while she was sleeping on his shoulder. Suddenly he was aware of her, of the way she breathed so slowly in her sleep that it seemed like she wasn't breathing at all. His muscles went rigid as he focused on being as still as possible to ensure he didn't wake her up.

"Finish the movie, then wake her up. She'll go to bed, I'll sleep on the couch, everything will be fine! Calm down, me."

He forced his attention to the tv and didn't dare look down, giving Ann the privacy she deserved as she slept peacefully. It felt like ages to the stone still boy, but eventually, the movie ended and credits began to scroll across the screen. Gently, Ryuji wiggled the shoulder she was sleeping on, hoping to wake her up without causing too much of a scene.

"Ann, wake up. The movie's over."

"Hmm?" she grumbled, "What happened? I fell asleep?" Letting the blanket fall to her lap, Ann slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to gather her surroundings. She looked over to the screen and saw name after name passing by, gathering that she had been asleep for quite some time.

"Aww, sorry Ryuji. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

Reaching her hands up above her head, Ann laced her fingers together and stretched her sore, exhausted muscles as she stood up from the couch. She covered a yawn with the back of her hand before turning back to Ryuji, mumbling out in a voice thick with sleep, "Come on, I'll show you where the guest room is."

The duo walked silently down the hallway, Ryuji's first adventure to a part of the house that wasn't the living room, until Ann stopped and opened a door. She stepped in and flipped on the light, revealing a small, but nicely decorated western style bedroom, private tv included.

"Here you go! The bathroom is the door across the hall, and my room is the one next door to yours. Try not to make too much noise, 'kay?"

Ryuji followed her in and leaped onto the bed, sprawling out as he quickly snatched up the remote and turned on his small, personal television.

"Yeah, I'll keep it down. Won't be long 'til I fall asleep anyways."

"Thanks. G'night Ryuji."

"Yeah, night."

The door closed behind Ann with an almost silent click. Ryuji waited until he heard her bedroom door close to let out a heavy sigh he didn't realize he'd been holding. He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the text thread he had with Ren.

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 02:43]: Hey man, are you awake?**

**[Amamiya Ren, 02:45]: Yeah, how's your date with Ann?**

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 02:46]: Will you shut up! This is serious!**

**[Amamiya Ren, 02:47]: You? Serious? What happened?**

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 02:48]: Ha. Ha.**

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 02:48]: I'm so pissed I'm saying this, but you were right.**

**[Amamiya Ren, 02:49]: I'm always right. **

**[Amamiya Ren, 02:49]: What am I right about?**


	4. Chapter 4

"Ugh, why did I drink so much soda... where's the bathroom again?"

Ryuji stumbled into the dark hallway, trying to rub his eyes and will them open so he could see where he was walking. His hands roamed over the hallway walls until he felt the doorknob in front of him and walked into the equally dark room.

"Where's the effin' light switch?" he grumbled as he patted down the walls around him until he was met with the bright flash of light burning his dark-adjusted eyes. He wasted no time admiring the sleek and modern bathroom around him, as he was there with only one priority on his mind.

After getting his business out of the way, Ryuji abruptly opened the bathroom door to head back to bed, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a shriek resounded just down the hallway. Thanks to the light still pouring out of the open doorway from the bathroom, Ryuji was able to see a nearly petrified Ann standing wide-eyed at the light's edge.

"Don't do that!" she yelled, panic still clear in her voice as she clutched a glass of water in her hands as though that was the only thing keeping her from shaking.

"Whadd'ya mean? I just opened the door!" Ryuji crossed his arms at the accusation and leaned against the open doorframe, returning her glare with equal frustration. He thought she looked too frightened for a simple jump scare, but when she took a nervous step backward, he thought he noticed a completely different expression on her face.

"Ann... why're your eyes all red?"

"I'm just tired, it _is_ like four in the morning."

"Nah, I don't buy it. Were you crying?"

Ann hesitated for a second, unsure how to react to being busted so easily. For someone so crass, she always thought Ryuji was pretty good at reading people's emotions. Unfortunately for her, that meant she probably didn't have a way to get out of this situation without having to either tell him a very good excuse or the truth. She took another step backward away from both Ryuji's watchful eyes and the light that would give her away, hoping that her retreat into the shadows wouldn't come off as too suspicious.

"N-no, I was just getting a glass of water."

"Well duh, you're holding it. But you look sad, and your eyes are all red and puffy. You've been crying, haven't ya?"

"Dammit Ryuji," Ann thought as her hands gripped the glass just a fraction tighter. She could see his eyes trying to see into the darkness she hid herself into, and for a second she wished he could have been the normal, situationally ignorant Ryuji she was used to. But he was someone she could trust, right? After all, he was the friend she'd known the longest, and he probably knew her better than anyone else on the thieves.

"Okay, okay. Yeah, I was crying. But it was just a bad dream! I'm fine now," she said with obvious reluctance.

"You're a terrible liar, Ann. Your hands are still shaking after I scared you just opening the door. That ain't a normal bad dream."

Her hands were shaking? Ann looked down and noticed a slight tremble causing small ripples in the water of her glass, something she didn't even realize she was doing. Well, of course they would be. It wasn't just a normal bad dream, it was _the_ bad dream. The one that popped up every once in a while that shook her to the core and made her wish she could live without sleeping. Her silent contemplation didn't go unnoticed by Ryuji. He pushed himself off of the doorway and took a step closer, not letting her hide in the darkness any longer.

"Ann, tell me about the dream. My mom told me when I was a kid that telling someone about your nightmares made them less powerful."

"I..." Ann's lip began to tremble as she even dared to recall her nightmare, her voice already beginning to sound thick with tears, "I can't."

"Since when did Takamaki Ann say she couldn't do something? That's a load of bullshit." Ryuji took another step closer, leaning against the wall a short distance in front of her, careful not to get too close in case it pushed her farther away from trusting him. "If you don't wanna tell me, I'm not gonna force ya. But I'm here to listen if-"

"Kamoshida."

The word was barely a whisper, but it's meaning alone was enough for Ryuji to stop his sentence immediately. An angry wave passed through him for a second at the mention of their first target as thieves, but that emotion was quickly replaced with concern as he noticed tears began to fall from Ann's eyes.

"It's this nightmare about him, about Kamoshida," Ann choked out, her words randomly interrupted by gasps as she tried to fight back sobs.

This wasn't the Ann he was used to seeing. Even in the times where she had cried in front of him, Ryuji always appreciated that she was quick to recover and return to her normal self. But this Ann, this Ann had almost no life in her eyes as her unfocused gaze lingered onto the glass in her hands. It felt like watching her made his chest grow tight between concern and pure rage, but he fought back the emotions that ran through him for her sake.

She didn't even flinch when he put his hands onto her shoulders and put up no fight as he gently spun her around and guided her back to the couch. She sat down at the end of the lounge section of the L-shaped couch, her eyes still unfocused but now lost on the floor between her feet. Ryuji sat onto the floor directly in front of her, his elbows resting on his bent knees as he stared at her, waiting for her to find her words and continue.

"Every time the dream is the same. Shiho stands at the edge of the roof, but he's there, holding her shirt to make her lean over. And he tells me that if I..." Ann's words lingered as her eyes squeezed shut, "...if I sleep with him, he won't push her over." She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Ryuji, a look of self-disgust radiating through her piercing stare. "And every time I say okay. Then he pulls her back onto the roof and ties her to one of those empty desks up there so she has to watch."

With every word she spoke, Ryuji's heart shattered a little more. And with every new crack that forms, its void was filled with an indescribable rage that made his teeth grind behind his neutral expression. He worried that if she could see the fury that was burning beneath his skin she'd stop telling him about her dream, which wouldn't be fair to her. So he bit it away, the muscles in his cheeks tight with tension as he clenched his jaw shut.

"He's so gross, Ryuji. His disgusting hands... they-" Ann's lifeless expression broke down into a deep series of sobs that shook her whole body. Setting the glass onto the ground, Ann used her freed hands to cover her face while her body doubled over from the painful tears she finally let go.

Though she felt almost a sense of release after telling someone what she has been suffering from in her empty home, knowing that it was Ryuji in front of her made her want to hide. She never wanted him to see her so weak, so damn vulnerable over something menial like a nightmare. He had been the guy she was after for so long, even though he was so painfully oblivious to how she felt. Sure, Ren was cute and caring, but something in her friendship with Ryuji just clicked. They got along in a way that couldn't be replicated. But that perfect friendship was why she swore she'd never let him know how she truly felt, and after so many months of playing the act, she was comfortably certain she had successfully planted herself into his friend-zone.

Yet there she was, crying in a way that not even her own parents had ever seen, letting every single ounce of her pain out through pain-filled screams and uncontrollable sobs. Through partially opened eyes she could see him move the glass on the floor somewhere outside of her vision, but she didn't spare another second to think why.

His motives were soon clear as she felt him wrap her up into her arms, pulling her into the safety of his chest. Ryuji moved before his mind caught up to his actions, but once he realized what he was doing he made no move to let go. Much to his relief, Ann didn't panic or pull away from his embrace. Instead, she removed the hands covering her face and returned his hug, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso as her hands grabbed onto the fabric on the back of his shirt. Almost as if on instinct Ann nuzzled her face into his shoulder and increased her hold on Ryuji. He hardly even noticed as the fabric of his shirt grew damp from her tears.

Time passed slowly, though how much time had passed neither of them was sure. At some point, Ann's tears ran dry, and her sobs turned into soft, sporadic sniffles. Feeling like it was the natural time for his embrace to end, Ryuji loosened his hold on her and pulled a few inches away, subtly looking down at her face to try and see her expression. Ann's eyes stayed downcast, and though she also let her arms fall from around his torso, her hands stopped and softly gripped the fabric on the front of his shirt.

Though barely audible, with their closeness Ryuji was able to hear Ann's whispered, "I'm sorry, Ryuji."

"Nuh-uh, don't apologize."

Ann let out an airy laugh and looked up at him, her eyes finally showing some spark of life. It wasn't until that second that the anger Ryuji had been holding in his jaw and muscles finally let go, and he gave her a small, lopsided grin.

"Fine. Thank you, Ryuji."

Sitting back into a squat, Ryuji scratched the back of his head like a nervous tic and laughed with a hint of embarrassment.

"Don't mention it, seems like ya needed to get that out. Feelin' any better now?"

Ann nodded, using the backs of her hands to wipe away any residual tears that had yet to dry on her cheeks. "Mhmm, I think so."

"Good. Think you can sleep again?"

"Maybe... but can I ask you a favor?"

Ryuji stood up from his squat and tilted his head at her in confusion, saying, "What's the favor? Ya already know I won't tell anyone about this."

Shaking her head yes, Ann cast her gaze back down at the floor, twiddling her fingers in a habit she did when she was working to fight through embarrassment. If Ryuji had been able to see her face clearly, he'd likely have seen the slight pink color staining her cheeks.

"Sometimes the dream comes back. Like if I go back to sleep it'll just start over again. Sooo..." Ann paused, internally resisting the urge to back out of her request before she even asked it, "Can you sleep out here? On the couch? With me?"

"Say what?! Ann hold up, I'm not about to cuddle you just because you're-"

"I didn't say cuddle, perv!" Ann stood up in front of him, toe to toe, and looked at him with an embarrassed, pouty glare. "I just said sleep! You can take the long side and I'll sleep on the other side!"

"Wait, you want to just sleep on the couch next to each other?"

"Yes!"

"But why? That bed was hella comfortable, not that the couch ain't, but it's no bed."

Ann let out a frustrated groan and rolled her eyes when he clearly wasn't grasping the reason behind her request.

"Dammit, Ryuji! Because if you're this close I bet I'll feel safe! Because maybe if you're right there I won't have the dream again! Get it?"

Ryuji let out a snort at her dramatic switch in attitude, back to the feisty and spirited Ann he was used to being around. In the back of his mind, he tried to memorize the way her red, puffy eyes and tear stained face looked as it was also compounded with frustration and embarrassment. He didn't know the next time she'd let herself be so vulnerable around him and he definitely didn't want to lose that memory.

"I got it, I got it." Ryuji walked over to the longer portion of the couch and plopped down, pulling an extra blanket off the back and throwing it over his legs. He watched as she followed suit, her grabbing the fluffy blanket she used during their movie session to cover herself and settle into her half of the couch. Neither of them spoke again, but the atmosphere between them was comfortable, as though no words needed to be said. It was only minutes later when sleep took them both.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ann. Yo, Ann. Wakeup."

"Huh?"

"It's like noon already. I need to head home before my mom flips her lid."

Ann rubbed her eyes until she was seeing stars as she tried to figure out why her head hurt so severely. Suddenly everything that happened earlier that morning rushed into her memory, and she knew her headache was from crying so heavily.

"Yeah, okay. Let me walk you to the station," she said as she sat up, stretching her arms above her head to try and remove some of her body's tension. Ryuji was standing in front of her, his hands shoved into his pockets like he was already ready to go.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Your cryin' face is pretty bad right now, you probably shouldn't go outside."

Ann glared at his cheeky smirk through her tired eyes. She knew what happened to her face when she really cried up a storm, and that wasn't something she'd want to show the world any time soon. Bloodshot eyes, red and puffy cheeks, and pounding headache were all normal signs that she truly let herself cry.

"Ugh, shut up Ryuji. You're not allowed to tell anyone you saw me like this!"

His smirk grew at her mild threat, "Fine, fine. Don't get all angry, I won't tell anyone."

Releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding, Ann sighed in relief and stood up, passing him as she walked towards her front door. "Thank you, seriously. I don't want the team to know about this, they don't need to be worrying about anything right now."

She turned the knob and opened the door a crack when she heard him ask quietly, "Did the dream come back? After you went back to sleep?"

Ann shook her head with a small smile, "No, it didn't. Thanks for staying with me. I think that helped keep it away."

With a lighter heart and a hand habitually scratching the back of his head, Ryuji made his way towards the door, opening it up enough that he could snake his way through. "Don't mention it. See you at school tomorrow?"

"Mhmm, see you tomorrow."

Giving each other one last wave, Ryuji departed and Ann quietly shut the front door. She pressed her forehead to the cold, firm wood for a moment, trying to ignore the fluttering of her heart and the thumping pain in her head. Her mind was trying to calm her emotions, trying to force Ann into realizing that he stayed over only because the last train passed, trying to tell her heart that he only stayed on the couch because she asked him to. "He didn't mean anything by it. He's just a friend helping out a friend."

But she wanted it to be more, to mean more, and even though her logic tried to push down her emotions she couldn't help but think about how nice it was just having him there in her home. He brought noise, conversation, laughter. In the short time since he had left, the home she lived in suddenly felt less like _home_. The feelings towards him that she had worked so hard to bury were returning to the surface with a vengeance.

Throwing herself onto the couch, Ann pulled the blanket Ryuji had been using up over her shoulders. She buried her face into the pillow he slept on, trying to hold on to any remnants that he was just there before she would have to re-train her heart into forgetting her feelings for him. Her eyes closed slowly as she thought about how nice it felt wrapped up in his arms while she cried, and it wasn't much longer until she drifted off into another round of sleep.

* * *

Ryuji's autopilot finally turned off once he sat down on an empty seat on the train with a heavy thud. His mind had been frantic from the second he heard her front door close behind him. The past eighteen hours or so had completely redefined how he saw Ann, and his mind was struggling to figure out what that all meant. Knowing he had time until his stop, Ryuji slumped back and let his head rest against the window behind him.

Even with his eyes open, he could vividly see all of the events that took place with Ann. He ended up texting Ren for a half hour, but when it went nowhere beyond Ren saying "I told you so," and "She likes you too, dumbass," until Ryuji decided to go to sleep. Then there was finding her upset, convincing her to tell him about her dream, the way each of her screams and sobs sent pulses of pure rage through his veins, and the soft pink that stained her cheeks when she asked him to stay on the couch with her. Not to mention the way he kept periodically waking up in the night to check and see if she was having another nightmare, only to find her sleeping peacefully on the other half of the couch. He had never been so aware of someone before, but he assumed that had something to do with him realizing he cared about her.

But for each inkling of happiness that came with his realization, an ounce of doubt sunk into his mind. They were friends, teammates even, and he was certain there was no way in hell that she liked him. Aside from when they first were a part of the Phantom Thieves, Ann hadn't flirted with him or made any sign that she thought of him as anything more than a friend from middle school. Plus, she let him stay the night at her home, _alone_, without even a second of hesitation. He was so far in her friendzone that she wanted him to sleep with her in the same room, on the same couch! Each little thing was being nitpicked by his mind when he heard the name of his stop called from the train's speakers.

Ryuji grunted as he stood up and left the train, somewhat surprised by how much he still hurt from both the explosion in Shido's palace and the sequential beatdown he received from his team. He placed one hand on the back of his neck and rolled his head around in an attempt to loosen up his sore muscles as his feet guided him home on muscle memory alone. It was right then when he saw his reflection in a store window and the big bandaid still stuck to his cheek. He froze so fast a stranger ran into his suddenly still form, their murmurs of aggravation going unnoticed by Ryuji as he stayed lost in his own reflection.

Ann had apologized and fixed him up. She supported him when he told her why he was so angry, something not even Ren knew. And she reminded him that Kamoshida was gone all while she'd been struggling with his mental ghost without anyone knowing. There must have been some reason why she was the only person to turn around and help him after the whole team began walking away. But as fast as the idea formed, he buried it away, forcing himself to let her and his feelings for her go.

"She's just a friend, and I'll make sure it stays that way," he whispered as he shook his head at his reflection before turning away, "...even if it fucking sucks."

* * *

The next few times they saw each other were simple enough, and to any eyes that didn't belong to the watchful Ren, it looked like nothing between them had changed. Ann had never been happier that Ryuji was in another class, and she cherished the fact that Ren seemed to not question what had happened after she returned to get Ryuji off that sidewalk.

Ryuji, on the other hand, made a point not to linger at school any longer than normal. As soon as the bells rang he left the building, hanging out either in the arcade in Shibuya or heading to the gym to get back into shape. And though both of their avoidance tactics were different, the pair of blondes were suffering the same. Both Ann and Ryuji bit back their emotions enough to keep everything normal, even though deep in their hearts they were struggling with burying their desires. Being away from Ryuji meant that Ann didn't have to put on a front, which let her actually process her emotions rather than put a mask on them. Ryuji took to the gym to get out any emotions he couldn't handle, letting the treadmill and weights suffer from his conflict instead of keeping it in his heart.

But Shido's big public confession didn't have the effect on the public that the team was expecting, which meant they were meeting up more often to discuss where they could have possibly gone wrong. Each of these encounters left both blondes dancing a fine line between avoiding each other entirely and stealing chance looks while the other wasn't paying attention. However, when everything came crashing down around them, both Ann and Ryuji were able to set aside their wild hearts to focus on a much more serious issue.

They had to steal the treasure of Mementos.

* * *

Both Ann and Ryuji came to in their own respective cells, surrounded by an ominous blue glow that lit up enough of their cell to see the iron bars holding them in. With no fight left in them, both resigned to leaning against the cell walls to wait and see what would happen, if anything happened at all.

Ann's mind was stuck on a loop, the horrible moment where Ryuji began to physically disappear before her very eyes replying itself over and over until her eyes glazed over. She wanted to hold his disappearing hand and will it to stay, but the panic of her own legs beginning to vanish too kept her from moving to him. But it was that scream, that horrifying, painful scream that he let out before disappearing entirely that haunted the back of her mind. It became the only noise she could hear, like a record stuck to skip to the beginning of the track over and over for all eternity. That is, until the quiet echo of racing footsteps rang down the corridor, and a familiar face set her free.

While the rest of the team gathered in the center room of the mysterious prison they were in, Ryuji continued to stew in his cell. What would his mom do? If they were erased from cognition, does that mean she'd forget he existed? His thoughts grew darker and darker until his mind crossed the idea of losing Ann. He laughed at himself, worrying about a girl who didn't even like him and didn't even know that he liked her. But that look on her face, the last thing he saw before he woke up in this prison, was all that his eyes let him see. Her eyes were scared, terrified even, and they were focused on him. He took the tiniest bit of solace knowing that she of all people was the one to be the last thing he saw before dying. His emotionless, dark laughter rang out in the halls around him until his closest friend's footsteps arrived by his cell door and helped Ryuji regain his spirit.

* * *

Ann welcomed each of her teammates one by one into the strange room in the middle of the prison. Each reunion brought forth new tears, as they took turns one by one giving each other hugs that they so desperately needed. But when it looked like everyone was there, Ann asked quietly, "Wait... where's-?"

"Yo."

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Ann spun around to see Ryuji walking into the room with Ren, scratching the back of his head as though nothing had happened.

"Ryuji!"

Her voice rang out through the stone room, as did the sound of her heels clicking on the hard floor as she ran to him. Without any warning, she jumped and threw her arms around his neck. His hands caught her hips so he could keep his balance, but she didn't even care about his intimate touch.

"Woah! Ann, what are you-"

"I thought you died... I couldn't get your scream out of my head, I kept hearing it over and over again," Ann mumbled as she buried her face into his shoulder, "I'm so happy you're okay."

A small pang of guilt struck his heart, and he wrapped his arms around her as if to take her pain away.

"Sorry 'bout that, but you should know it's not that easy to take me down."

Their soft laughter was interrupted by an awkwardly timed cough that brought them back to reality. All of the thieves stood watching their little display like that in itself was the end of the world, not the _literal_ end of the world that they were fighting. Only Ren actually moved, gesturing them to join the group with a wave of his hand.

Both blondes quickly separated and walked over to the group side by side to take their place next to Ren. An old man with a giant nose and an adorable girl clad in blue waited patiently for the team to ready up, which prompted the old man to speak.

"My name is Igor."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I don't want to go too into detail about the ending fight simply because I don't want to make too many changes to it. The ending fight was perfection in my opinion, so please fill in the cannon fight in the quick time skip that takes place in this chapter. Once the story gets past the main cannon story line, things will become much more detailed!

* * *

_When this is all over._

That's what both of the blondes told themselves after each difficult fight up the disturbing ramp of bones that led to their end goal.

When this was all over, saving the world, saving their leader, saving themselves. Once everything had fallen back to normalcy, both Ann and Ryuji made a mental pact within themselves that they would tell the other what they were feeling.

If only it had been that easy.

* * *

"That was nothing..." Ann said confidently through ragged, tired breaths. The four teens stood at the final platform, hands on their knees as they fought to regain control of their breathing after defeating the last angel, Michael.

Ryuji's cocky grin widened at her nonchalant words, replying in kind "Didn't even break a sweat," as a telltale drop rolled down his cheek.

The nuclear powerhouse of the thieves cracked her knuckles confidently and took the lead, looking up at the giant structure before them with an air of apprehension. It was only when their leader's red gloves rested firmly on her shoulders that her tension was taken away, and her nervousness disappeared.

Once the full team of thieves and one mystical cat lined up to eye the end of the road before them, Ren spoke firmly, "Let's go."

Undismayed and unperturbed, the Phantom Thieves approached the towering Holy Grail to fight it once more. Their determination was palpable, and with each step towards their fate, they knew that this was all or nothing.

That determination whittled away quickly as the defeated Holy Grail transformed into something beyond imagination.

"What the hell is that?!" Ryuji yelled as the beautiful monstrosity before them reached its final form.

"It's huge... how are we supposed to fight that?" Makoto muttered under her breath. She took in the sight before her, an enormous angel-like enemy towered before them with the intent to take them down.

Ren turned his back on the giant and faced his team with a look of overwhelming confidence.

"Don't panic, guys. Ryuji, Ann, Makoto. I want you three with me to start the fight. Buff up, lower his defenses, and then we'll begin our attack. Ryuji, I want you to charge up and then hit him with your physical attacks," Ren said as Ryuji nodded in understanding.

He then turned to Ann, grateful that the fear in her eyes had been replaced by a look of undeniable trust in him. "Ann, you concentrate before every attack and then hit him hard with your fire. Between you and Ryuji, that thing will feel the pressure." Her blonde pigtails bounced after she firmly nodded once, her confidence rising with each word their leader spoke.

"Makoto, I want you to mix between healing everyone and doing damage. We don't know what exactly we're up against, but I know we'll do this. We have to." Makoto crossed her arms across her chest and smiled. The look of adoration in her expression was noticeable by everyone else, but they had no time to give her grief over her crush on Ren. They had a fight to win.

* * *

Beams of light fell around everyone after Ren broke the chains of his persona. Like a sky of shooting stars, everyone's eyes wandered upwards to take in the sight, barely registering the aggressive rambling of the giant creation that had only moments earlier sent them to the ground. But when the breathtaking sky was quickly replaced with rolling thunder and dark skies, Ann found herself intimidated by the atmospheric change.

"Ryuji..." she whispered, reaching out to grab his forearm with a nervous grip. She carefully stood behind him, watching over his shoulder as a giant, dark humanoid persona took its place behind Ren. Ryuji's eyes only flickered to her hand for a second before he returned his gaze to Ren. Both their leader clad in black and the almost demonic angel behind him raised their guns at their enemy, a move so simple yet so intimidating that both blondes froze in amazement. Neither dared blink until Yaldabaoth's face revealed to be gone once sunlight broke across the horizon.

Ann's grip finally released when Yaldabaoth disappeared into small balls of light floating into the distance.

"Look!" She yelled as the small lights came together to create what she assumed to be the god's treasure. Her hunch was right, although her satisfaction of being right was short lived. Ann realized Morgana's words weren't normal, they sounded like words of goodbye. She swallowed hard as the knot in her stomach grew. Tears began to sting at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to cry over this. At least not yet.

"The hell...?!" It felt like Ryuji had only blinked before he was back at the streets of Shibuya standing waist deep in red liquid. He, as well as the rest of the team, looked around at the frozen world around them with a small sense of panic. It took all of their words away to see their city frozen mid-stride.

As suddenly as they arrived, the red, dreadful atmosphere around them began to disappear. Blue skies reappeared above them, the water around them shattered like glass, and the last remnants of Mementos disappeared into little specs in the air. But it was when the world began to glow that they all realized something big was happening.

Morgana spoke softly and began to explain what was happening to the world that they knew. He looked softly at the team of humans he had come to adore as they stared in disbelief at his glowing form. Even as he watched tears begin to develop in their eyes, Morgana pressed on detailing just how they had changed the world.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry..." Ann repeated in her mind over and over again. She didn't want her tearful face to be the last impression she gave Morgana. From the corner of his vision, Ryuji could see Ann struggling to maintain her composure. He saw the way her bottom lip quivered and the hard gulps she used to keep her sobs away. As if on instinct he reached out and took her hand, stepping a small distance closer so no one else in the group would see. And all though she didn't visibly react or acknowledge his support, she expressed her thanks by simply wrapping her fingers around his and squeezing gently.

All of the thieves watched in grief as Morgana floated into the air and disappeared before them, and in what felt like a blink, they all returned back to a normal, busy Shibuya sidewalk.

* * *

_When this is all over._

It should have been that simple. But "over" kept slipping through Ryuji's and Ann's grasps as plot twist after plot twist kept them working to bring their leader home. _Over_, it seemed, was an ending they couldn't find.

* * *

**March 20th**

* * *

"Yusuke heads up!"

The starving artist's feet threw sand into the air as he ran across the beach, his arm stretched high to catch the frisbee streaming through the air. When he unceremoniously caught the frisbee but tripped on the sand in the process, the onlooking female thieves lost themselves in laughter at his expense.

Ren grabbed Yusuke's arm and helped to pull him up to his feet once more.

"That was rather ungracious of me, wasn't it?" Yusuke asked as he dusted the sand off of his clothes. He passed the frisbee to Ren while he worked to brush any remaining particles off his face. This back and forth game with the boys in the group continued on while the girls in the group sat on beach towels from afar, chatting amongst themselves.

"Ann, careful. You're practically drooling," Makoto teased with a smug expression on her face.

"Oh shut up. Let me stare in peace just one last ti-"

The second Ann clipped her words short, the gaze of the three girls around her immediately went to her red, shocked face.

Haru inquired first, asking bluntly, "Were you about to say one last time?"

Without even letting Ann contemplate Haru's question, Futaba jumped forward and leaned into Ann's face, asking in a panic, "What does that mean?!"  
Makoto's interrogative expression and the worried, curious looks of both Haru and Futaba pressed Ann into relenting the truth. The saddest smile they had seen crossed Ann's face, and she spoke quietly, "You can't tell the boys yet. Especially not Ryuji."

Hours passed by until the sun was beginning to set upon the sea before them. In a moment of privacy, Ann was able to tell Yusuke her secret. Much to her surprise, Yusuke recovered quickly, covering his sadness with grace even after a rather loud "what?!" had almost caught the other two boys' attention.

"Come on guys, let's get closer to the water to watch the sunset," Makoto said, looking at all of those who knew Ann's secret for a second longer to implicate the true reason behind her suggestion. Clueless as ever, Ryuji followed along to the shore with Ren close by his side.

"Wait, Ren. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Both Ryuji and Ren turned around to see a red-faced Ann standing nervously under the warm glow of the sunset, obviously fidgeting with her hands to try and steel her nerves. A pang of nervousness ran through Ryuji as his mind tried to interpret the situation. Ren nodded at Ann and began to walk back, curious as to what she could possibly need to say.

"Ryuji, I understand you sometimes lack directional ability, but the sunset is very clearly this way," Yusuke said as he forced Ryuji to spin around with a twist of the blonde's shoulders.

Conversation carried on around him but Ryuji heard nothing. Even though he knew he shouldn't care, he knew he shouldn't watch, he couldn't stop from focusing on the girl he liked and his best friend speaking privately out of the corner of his eye. And from there he watched as she looked down at the sand below her feet, as Ren tilted her head back up with a finger under her chin, as she dove into his arms and held him tight, burying her face into his shoulder once he held her back.  
Ryuji felt an uneasy chill run up his spine and heard his thundering heartbeat pounding in his ears. Part of him was pissed, how could he have not noticed it was Ren she cared for? He cursed himself in his thoughts for being such an idiot. The other half of him was hurting, a pain deep in his heart he couldn't recall ever feeling before. Was he too late? Should he have told her how he felt earlier?

Thoughts continued to race in his mind, even after Ann and Ren let each other go. The sound of the waves crashing behind him was drowned out by his mental personal interrogation, but Ren's calm, collected voice cut through his thoughts.

"Your turn."

The two boys stared at each other for what felt like minutes, even though only a few seconds actually passed. Ren could see that Ryuji had misinterpreted what just happened, as the frustration and anger in his eyes shone brightly. But for a moment Ren relaxed his expression into one of sympathy, which seemed to help Ryuji calm down.

Even though confusion coursed through his veins, Ryuji walked over to Ann, hands shoved in his pocket and slouching like always. He noticed that she never once looked up, not even a peek in his direction. She only waited patiently until he finally stopped in front of her, asking with a quiet voice, "What's up, Ann?"

"I wanted to tell you first... but I couldn't. I'm sorry." Ann felt a tear slip free and run down her cheek, dropping off of her chin and onto the sand below. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and looked up, staring into the handsome brown eyes that she had grown to adore.

"I'm leaving Japan."

Pressing his eyebrows together, Ryuji concentrated on the words he just heard. Clearly, he didn't hear her right, they just didn't seem to make sense in his mind.  
"Wait, what? You're leaving Japan?"

Nodding, Ann continued, determined to say the words she had rehearsed for weeks to the boy who stood before her.

"Tomorrow morning. My parents want me to join them over the next year as they do worldwide fashion show tour, with me as one of their feature models. They wanted me to leave yesterday, but I was able to ask for today at least so I could help see Ren off. My guardian is waiting for me, actually. I don't have much time left-"

"The hell?! What about school? You're so close to graduating! You're really just gonna leave like that and not finish?"

"My parents hired a tutor to travel with us so I can finish the last year of school abroad... kinda like homeschooling. I'll still graduate on time, but not from Shujin."

Ryuji felt panic growing within him as he clung to any excuse he could think of, even though he tried to stay contained on the surface.

"Why couldn't they just fly you out for the shoots? Why do they have to take you for a whole year?! That's bullshit!"

"Ryuji!" Ann cried out. Tears that she fought to hold back had now begun to flow freely, even if she looked at him with a tinge of anger in her expression. "It's not bullshit. They just want to be with me for a while, since I like haven't seen them in months! I wish there was another way but this is what they want, okay? I have to go."

Frozen, Ryuji stood in silence, mouth agape, as he tried to find the words he wanted to say. It almost felt as though his world was crashing around him. Everything was finally all almost over, he was so close. His plan all along had been to tell her after returning to Tokyo, but that wouldn't happen now. But no words came to him, and his throat ran dry.

As soon as the sun slipped beyond the horizon, a car horn rang out in the distance. That was her cue. Ann glanced over her shoulder at the parking lot for a second to wave her hand at her guardian.

By this point the rest of the thieves watched along silently from afar, focusing as hard as they could to make out the scene in front of them as the last tendrils of light danced across the sky. Every one of them clung to the hope that they would finally admit their feelings to each other since it had been so obvious for so long.  
"Come on guys, just say that you like each other!" Haru whispered, clutching her hands together in front of her chest. Makoto and Ren shared a conspiratorial look, seeing as this situation had played out privately between the two a few months earlier.

But the audience at the water's edge was entirely forgotten by both Ann and Ryuji. As soon as Ann turned away from the waiting car to return her focus on Ryuji, she was enveloped into the strongest, passionate hug she had ever felt.

His mind hadn't caught up to his body until he realized she had wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. In a moment of instinct, or panic perhaps, Ryuji flung his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. He was certain Ann could feel his muscles trembling as he held back his emotions and his fears. And although he knew that it was now or never to tell her the truth, every time he opened his mouth to admit his feelings the words got stuck in his throat.

Though her words were muffled in the fabric of his shirt, Ryuji could hear Ann speaking softly.

"Thank you, Ryuji, for being one of my first friends. I never told you how much that meant to me, but it really meant everything. You and Shiho are my best friends."  
The words she was thinking and the words she spoke were dramatically different. She wanted to tell him everything, every little detail about him that she had grown to cherish, how she liked him for so long that it had been painful pushing her secret aside to ensure their friendship lived on. But she couldn't. Even as her tears began to flow steadily and her hands twisted into the fabric of his shirt, she couldn't.

"Ann!" a voice called out moments before a few more car honks ruined their bubble of intimacy. It was time for her to go.

Stepping away and loosening her grip, Ann felt Ryuji's arms fall limp to his side once her warmth disappeared from his chest. She immediately missed the security his arms provided her, but she had no choice. With a quick wave, Ann looked over her shoulder at the best friends she could have ever asked for and smiled sadly. It was too much for her heart to say goodbye once more. She could barely keep herself together as it was.

"There's no way to make you stay?" Ryuji asked quietly.

Ann looked up at him, noticing for the first time just how broken his expression was. For a second she thought that perhaps her feelings weren't one-sided, but she quickly brushed that microscopic hope aside. She couldn't handle any more heartbreak.

Shaking her head side to side, Ann whispered almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry, Ryuji."

As Ann began walking towards her awaiting guardian, Ryuji's gaze lost focus. Even as the rest of the thieves walked over and surrounded him, he didn't notice their presence. To Ren, it almost looked as though Ryuji had broken entirely, and he immediately realized neither blondes admit their own truths. Ren stepped in front of his best friend and put a supportive hand on his shoulder, a touch that should have brought Ryuji back to reality. Instead, Ryuji leaned forward and rested his forehead onto Ren's shoulder.

"I couldn't tell her," he muttered.

It was all over.


	7. Chapter 7

**April 7**

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:37]:** Yo, Ann. Did you make it to France all right? No one's heard from you since last week.

**[Takamaki Ann, 12:39]:** Oh sorry! Yeah, we made it safely a few days ago. It's been crazy since we got here. The fashion show is tomorrow and then we'll be heading straight for Milan so I'll probably be slow to reply for the next week or two.

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:40]:** Damn, sounds like you can't catch a break.

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:41]:** Better not fall behind in your classes though, you know how much crap everyone will give you if I graduate before you?

**[Takamaki Ann, 12:43]:** Oh in your dreams, Ryuji! We both know if anyone is gonna get held behind it'll be you!

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:44]:** Heh, there's the angry Ann. Guess traveling hasn't taken the fire out of you yet.

**[Takamaki Ann, 12:46]:** Aww, it almost sounds like you miss me!

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:47]:** Aaaand there's the big ego. Yup, you're still the same old Ann from before.

**[Takamaki Ann, 12:48]:** Old?! Oh, you're so in for it the next time I see you!

**[Sakamoto Ryuji, 12:49]:** Looking forward to it.

**May 13**

**[Okumura Haru, 14:18]:** Ann! Are you awake? I know it's late there, but I miss you!

**[Takamaki Ann, 14:20]:** Haru! Yeah, I'm awake! I've got some time before bed. I've missed you too! How have you been?

**[Okumura Haru, 14:22]:** Wonderful! Things at the company have been much better now that I've finished my extra business studies.

**[Okumura Haru, 14:23]:** What about you? I saw one of your pictures in a magazine here and I showed it to the team! Everyone thought you looked amazing!

**[Takamaki Ann, 14:25]:** It's pretty tough traveling around so much, to be honest. But we're going to be staying in Finland for a while so I'll be able to catch up on my studies so I don't fall too far behind!

**[Takamaki Ann, 14:26]:** And thank you! I still can't believe I got to model in Milan! That's been a dream of mine forever, and the shoot came out great! It makes me super happy that you all liked it too.

**[Okumura Haru, 14:29]:** You know who really liked it?

**[Takamaki Ann, 14:31]:** Probably Morgana, that little perv.

**[Okumura Haru, 14:32]:** Well, yes, but Ryuji liked it even more. I think he still likes you! Plus, once we all got up to part ways, Ryuji asked to keep the magazine!

**[Okumura Haru, 14:33]:** You should reach out to him soon! He said he hasn't heard from you in a while.

**[Okumura Haru, 14:37]:** Ann? Are you still awake?

**June 18**

**[Amamiya Ren, 21:52]:** Hey, Ann.

**[Takamaki Ann, 21:53]:** Ren! It's been so long! How are things back in your hometown?

**[Amamiya Ren, 21:55]: **Things were good, but I moved back to Tokyo. Makoto's sister helped me get a small apartment near their place so I could continue going to Shujin.

**[Takamaki Ann, 21:56]:** No way! That's awesome! I'm sure everyone is really happy that you're back!

**[Amamiya Ren, 21:57]:** Yeah, they all came and picked me up from my hometown to drive me back to Tokyo. It's nice having them around again.

**[Amamiya Ren, 21:58]:** Of course, it'd be better if you were back too.

**[Takamaki Ann, 22:00]:** Aww, don't say that. I already miss all of you so much.

**[Takamaki Ann, 22:01]:** You know I'd come back in a heartbeat if I could.

**[Amamiya Ren, 22:02]: **I know.

**[Amamiya Ren, 22:02]:** How much longer until you get to come back?

**[Takamaki Ann, 22:08]:** I don't know. My parents talked about going to Japan to check on the apartment, but they haven't said anything specific yet.

**[Amamiya Ren, 22:10]:** Well let us know if you find out. I know everyone will want to see you.

**[Amamiya Ren, 22:11]: **Especially Ryuji.

**[Takamaki Ann, 22:17]:** Ren... please.

**[Amamiya Ren, 22:20]:** I'll drop it for now, but ignoring him isn't doing either of you any good.

**[Takamaki Ann, 22:22]:** Thank you. I have to go. I'll message you the next time I'm free!

**July 3**

**[Niijima Makoto, 10:02]:** I wish you could join us today, Ann. I'm sure Ryuji feels the same way.

**[Niijima Makoto, 10:03]:** He'd never admit it, but he misses you. I've seen it in his face. The last time he got a text from you, he was ecstatic.

**[Niijima Makoto, 10:05]:** Please, just send him a happy birthday text.

Minutes passed on bated breath since Makoto sent her last text out to Ann, hoping that at some point the far away blonde would actually reply instead of simply leaving her on read. When a warm body slid into the booth beside her, Makoto threw her phone onto the table with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm guessing she didn't reply?"

"No, left on read again. Every time I text her about Ryuji she stops responding to the conversation."

Ren watched Makoto's facial expression shift into one of frustration as she placed her head into her hands, leaning onto the table on her elbows. He adored the way she tried so hard to keep the spark between Ryuji and Ann alive, but he knew that without them seeing each other in person again, the spark wasn't going to reignite.

"Let's not worry about it today. We still have to get everything ready for the party. If she wants to say something to him today, she'll do it on her own terms."

Makoto sighed once more, but the noise was drowned out by the telltale bell ring from the front door, followed by the ever loud voices of Futaba and Yusuke arguing about something mecha related.

"Will you two just get inside already? It's hot out here."

"Okay okay, chill Sojiro."

Both Ren and Makoto watched in amusement as the unruly trio stumbled into the coffee shop with arms full of grocery bags and various decorations. Once Yusuke and Futuba dumped their belongings into a different booth's seats, they filed in across from their teammates in the same booth seat, careful not to make a show of how close they were sitting next to each other since their relationship was still quite new.

With a lingering tone of entertainment in her voice, Makoto began the pre-party meeting.

"We've got three hours to get this place ready for the party. Haru will be showing up in an hour or so once she finishes with her board meeting. We'll be able to get everything ready well before Ryuji shows up. But first, how about some coffee? We all have some catching up to do, don't we?"

* * *

After some time spent conversing about new part-time jobs for Makoto and Haru, a new award for winning an art competition for Yusuke, and Futuba ranting about how much she disliked all of the people at her school, the rowdy bunch of thieves began setting up and decorating the cozy coffee shop. Bright yellow and red streamers hung beam by beam across the ceiling panels, balloons were inflated and strewn about the room, and decorative plates and napkins were expertly placed along the shop's bar. It wasn't long after Sojiro began his own handiwork that the main room began to smell warmly of coffee and curry, a scent reminiscent of their many days spent in the same booths planning how to save society.

"He should be here soon, right? Have you heard from him, Ren?" Haru asked softly from her seat at the bar.

With a nod, Ren replied, "He said he was fifteen minutes away ten minutes ago, he should be here any second."

Almost as if he was waiting for the perfect moment, Ryuji casually strolled in through the cafe's front door. Before he looked up, Ryuji leaned forward and erratically ran his hands through his hair as he tried to shake off some of the water that made his hair damp.

"Yo, Ren! Sorry I'm late, it started raining right when I got off the train," he muttered, before looking up and being taken entirely off-guard by not only the whole coffee shop being decorated but the whole group of thieves watching along with giggles and smiles at his expense.

"Happy birthday, Ryuji!" the group cheered in unison.

"Woah, you guys did all this for me?! For real?!"

Makoto adjusted her skirt like her usual habit, running her hands along her lap to keep her skirt perfectly in place as she adjusted in her seat.

"Well, of course, we had to do something for your birthday. Plus it's a good excuse for everyone to get back together since it's been so long!"

Yusuke rose elegantly from his seat in the booth with Futaba not far behind, and they both motioned for Ryuji to take a seat across from Ren and Makoto.

"Please, Ryuji. Sit here."

"Thanks, man. This is crazy, I had no idea I'd see all of you today! This is awesome!"

Ever socially awkward, Yusuke said plainly, "Well not everyone is here. It seems Ann is yet again missing another of our gatherings."

Within a second Futaba threw an elbow into Yusuke's ribs, trying to get him to realize the error of his ways before the whole atmosphere was brought down by his untimely obvious statement. She giggled nervously as she tried to change the direction of the conversation, pushing Yusuke back to the small kitchen area as she called out, "Hahaha anyway how about curry?! Yusuke and I will help pass out plates!"

While everyone else held happy conversation after conversation, Ryuji couldn't help but feeling his attention slip away from whatever everyone was talking about. He was happy, of course, but something about Ann missing yet another meetup of the whole team dragged his mood down a few degrees. While mostly everyone except for Yusuke could tell that Ryuji had something else on his mind, they all appreciated that he at least was there and willing to participate in their small party for him, given the circumstances.

* * *

Hours passed by as the group continued their party. Through reminiscent stories, updates about personal lives and school, and general debates about what anime was the best of the summer season, the whole group settled in as though no time had been spent apart. As the sun began to hide behind the horizon, Haru left around the same time that Yusuke did, both apologizing for leaving early but having to attend to things in the morning. Not long after, Sae arrived to pick up Makoto, but first stopping in to give Ryuji some newly released sneakers that he could use to continue his new work as a personal trainer at the gym in Shibuya.

"I'll see you later, Ryuji. I've got a tournament on Forknight that I can't miss. Happy birthday!"

"Yeah, go for it. Thanks." Ryuji waved once as Futaba stepped out, leaving only him and Ren in the now quiet coffee shop. "Man, today was awesome. Thank you, Ren, I think I kinda needed to see everyone."

"Huh?" Ren mumbled as he hid his phone back into his pockets. "Oh, yeah, right. Well, Makoto thought your birthday would be a good excuse to get the team back together. Once we asked everyone else they were all on board."

"Odd," Ryuji thought to himself as he watched Ren seemingly hide his phone from Ryuji's line of sight. After a second of thought, he simply wrote it off as some flirtatious text from Makoto that he didn't want Ryuji to read. Considering the slight pink tinge on his cheeks, Ryuji believed himself to be right.

The recognizable sound of the front door to the cafe caused Ryuji to pause his train of thought, turning only the slightest degree to say over his shoulder, "Yo, the place is closed! Boss will have the place back open tomorrow." But his nonchalant reaction was quickly ruined when he saw Ren stand abruptly and place his hands onto the table of the booth between them.

"Crap, I'm too late, aren't I?"

Hearing such a familiar voice behind him caused the hairs on Ryuji's arms to stand on end. He froze in place, staring at Ren's reaction as Ren stared similarly to the surprise figure drenched from the rain, standing just inside the entrance to the coffee shop.

"If you stare any harder Makoto might get jealous. Help me out, Ren! This thing is awkward to hold!"

Snapping out of his stupor, Ren shook his head and left the booth, grabbing the rather large cake out of Ann's hands and helping set it onto the counter of the bar. "Let me get you a towel to dry off, I'll be right back."

"Thanks, Ren," Ann muttered as she tried to wipe her shoes dry on the floormat. It was only then, once Ren disappeared upstairs, that Ryuji turned around. When blue eyes met brown, Ann smiled, straightening up her posture as she twirled a lock of soaking wet hair nervously around her finger. "Hey, Ryuji. Happy birthday!"

"Ann... you're actually here, right? I'm not crazy? This isn't some sick hallucination from too much curry? Do I have the meat sweats?"

With a snort, Ann started walking across the coffee shop until she stood in front of the still-seated birthday boy. Poking one finger onto his forehead, Ann spoke with a hint of mirth in her voice, "Of course I'm real. I tried to surprise you, and since you haven't stopped gawking since I walked in, I'd say I did a pretty good job." The teasing grin on her face was enough for Ryuji to accept the fact that she was truly there, within arm's reach, for the first time since she left him and everyone else on the beach months before. He was lost in reverie until the sound of returning footsteps down the stairs snapped him back to the situation.

"Here, dry yourself off so you don't get sick."

"Ah, thank you!"

Ren shoved Ryuji to the side so he could let Ann sit across from them in the booth, both boys completely taken off-guard by her sudden appearance to the point that they simply watched her dry her hair without saying a word.

"If you two keep staring at me like that I'm going to go back home! Will y'all act normal for once?!"

Underneath the table, Ren subtly punched Ryuji in the thigh as a hint to get the blonde talking instead of staring.

"Oh, yeah. My bad. It doesn't feel real though. How come you didn't tell anyone you were gonna be here?! They would have stuck around until you showed up!"

Ringing out her hair in the soft towel as she spoke, Ann replied, "Well I wanted to surprise everyone! But this storm came out of nowhere and the flight couldn't land right away. By the time I dropped off my stuff and grabbed a cake, it was already way late."

Ryuji perked up, his eyes glancing over towards the bar at the pastry box that Ren had left on the bar countertop. In his earlier stupor, he entirely missed the cake that she had brought for his party.

"Yo, I could seriously go for a slice right now."

"Oh, sure! Ren, do you want one too?"

Ren nodded silently as he watched Ann rise from her seat and move towards the countertop.

With a second reprieve from her presence, the two boys leaned over as they began to whisper.

_"You swear you had no idea she was going to be here, right? If you kept this a secret from me I swear I'll-"_

_"She didn't tell anyone, I swear."_

_"Oh man... I wish I had time to mentally prepare for this. I look like an idiot right now."_

_"You always look like an idiot."_

_"Hey! You're supposed to support me right now or something!"_

_"Go get 'er, tiger."_

Right when a new series of curses were about to be hissed through clenched teeth, a plate of luxurious looking chocolate cake was put into Ryuji's field of vision.

"Holy shit, that looks delicious..."

Ann giggled as she slid back into her seat. She wasn't sure what it was they were whispering about earlier, but their moods changed instantly to eyes a-glitter and mouths agape. After she told them to dig in, Ann watched in delight as the two boys began to devour their respective slices while she slowly ate her own. Sure, she was hungry and the cake was literal perfection, but she was much more intent on taking in every single second of the duo and their many expressions. Simply being around them brought back warm feelings and memories from when they were the only members of the thieves.

"Huh?" Ryuji asked through a mouthful of cake, "you're not tearing into the cake like you used to?"

Ryuji's words brought Ren's attention back to Ann, where he stared at her with a look of confusion and concern.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I'm just really happy."

Flipping the script, right as Ann began to focus on the delicacy in front of her, Ryuji's attention turned towards her. He noticed how lively she looked, as though there was a new glow about her that he never noticed before. She seemed truly at peace.

"So, Ryuji! Tell me what's been going on with you since I left! I feel like I've missed so-."

A sudden noisy vibration from Ryuji's pocket made the trio stop and look down at his phone.

"Ahh crap. I forgot my mom said she'd come and get me when she was done with her errands."

Clear disappointment crossed Ann's face at the thought that their reunion would be cut so short. Suddenly her heart was racing, and she felt like her small window of opportunity was slipping through her grasp.

"Wait, do you have to go like right now?"

"Yeah... she's waiting for me already. I gotta go- wait. Hold on, let me call her real quick," he said as he leaped over the back of the booth's seat, "Stay there, I'll be right back."

Both Ann and Ryuji watched confused as Ryuji raced outside into the backstreets. Ever short of words, Ren stood quietly and packed up the leftover cake while Ann waited anxiously for Ryuji to return.

Returning in the same flurry as he left, Ryuji burst through the door back into the coffee shop.

"I, uh, probably should have asked you first, but uh, when are you going back? I mean like, leaving Japan again?"

Ann, equally as flustered as Ryuji, managed to reply, "The day after tomorrow. Why?"

Even as he felt his face begin to redden, Ryuji knew that this was a now or never opportunity. He missed his chance to tell her the truth months ago, and he was determined not to let another moment slip past him.

"What are ya doing tomorrow?"

Seeing the blush on his cheeks caused Ann's to color as well.

"I was going to try and give everyone their souvenirs from my trip, but that was-"

"I'll do it," Ryuji shouted as he cut her off and began to quickly close the distance between them in the coffee shop, "I'll give everyone their gifts. Let me take you out tomorrow."

Ren, atop his seat comfortably lounging at the bar, watched with amusement to see what her reaction would be. He never took Ryuji to be so straightforward, but after seeing what he was like while she was away, perhaps this was his inner man trying to grasp at any straws that he could. What Ren didn't expect, however, was the way Ann's nervous personality suddenly flipped. Her wide, anxious eyes relaxed slightly, and she smiled radiantly at Ryuji. Suddenly she looked so much older in a mature, refined way. Even Ryuji noticed, although that was more because she had risen from her seat and now stood in front of him, her face only a breath away from his.

"Sure. On two conditions."

Swallowing hard at the sudden closeness between them, Ryuji barely managed to mumble, "What conditions?"

Ann smiled wider, an edge of playfulness shining in her eyes.

"One, I want this to be a date, if you're okay with that, of course."

Suddenly his smile began to resemble hers, as his characteristic smirk spread across his face in pure, ecstatic happiness.

"Fine. It's a date. What's number two?"

Peeking around Ryuji's shoulder, Ann looked at Ren as though something had caught her eye.

"Oh?" she asked quietly, prompting Ryuji to look over his shoulder back towards Ren in curiosity. It was in that second of distraction that he felt a feather-soft pair of lips touch his cheek.

"There, that's number two. Now go home, I'm sure your mom is pissed!"

As though his brain was short-circuited, Ryuji stood nearly frozen in place before he realized what happened. Ann Takamaki, his friend since middle school, the girl he always found himself drawn to be around and keep safe, the girl he began to like only to have her taken right out from within his reach. Ann kissed him. Even if it was only on the cheek, it was enough for Ryuji. It confirmed everything he had stressed over time and time again since he failed to tell her months ago. She liked him back.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryuji mumbled as his mind returned back to his body, barely registering that she was pushing him across the coffee shop and out the front door, "Wait, I'll come over to your place in the morn-"

"Ryuji! I'll be ready whenever. Now go home, birthday boy." Ren opened the door as Ann pushed Ryuji outside, timing it perfectly that the cake was unceremoniously shoved into Ryuji's arms as soon as he turned around to say something else.

"Uh, yeah, thanks for the cake. And the party, Ren."

"Of course. Now go home, you've got planning to do."

Ann leaned onto Ren's shoulders as they both watched the blonde stumble backward into the pedestrian street looking absolutely dazed. The second he walked out of sight, an obnoxiously loud sigh right in his ear made Ryuji flinch.

"Ughhhh that was so embarrassing! Why did you let me do that, Ren?!"

Stifling a laugh, Ren watched Ann curl up into a ball as she squat down in the middle of the coffee shop. He walked around her and did the same motion, holding a relaxed squat in front of her as he tried to get her attention off of the floor.

"Do you regret it?"

A moment of silence hung between them while she slowly peeled her hands off of her face, letting Ren see the full flush that covered her face all the way to the tips of her ears.

"No. No, I don't regret it."


End file.
